...Dr. Rank in A Doll’s House has an influence in Nora’s life by providing her with the respect and dignity she deserves. Rank treats Nora as if she is an adult, unlike Torvald who treated her as a child and a doll. Rank respects her actions, even knowing that they go against the norms of society. During Act 2 of A Doll’s House, Nora is expressive and comfortable while being accompanied by Rank. In the duration of Act 2, Nora actively flirts with Rank. Nora states. “Silk stockings. Fresh-colored. Aren’t they lovely? Now it’s so dark here, but tomorrow- No, no, no, just look at the feet.” In respond Robert states, “hm-” This goes to display how Nora is openly expressing herself and is satisfied in the presence of Rank. However, Rank appears to...
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...Ibsen’s Play, “A Doll’s House” Henrick Ibsen has outdone himself in his play “A Doll’s House”. Ibsen has refined and fine-tuned the taste and view of his plays with the use of different techniques, among them being Symbolism. Symbolism is among the most common techniques used in drama. Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas and qualities, in an artistic and poetic style. It uses images, and indirect suggestions to express mystical ideas, emotions, suggestions and states of mind. Symbolism adds another layer of meaning to the meaning of script writing. While the clear, obvious meaning lies on the surface, symbolism is mostly hidden from the “front row” and it usually lies deeper than it seems. Ibsen utilizes symbolism in the play “A Doll’s House” with the purpose of revealing a certain character. In Nora’s character, Ibsen says that he used symbolism to develop her character and in the end the character’s qualities were incredibly outstanding that even the critics said it was an outstanding move. The play, “A Doll’s House,” revolves around the life of the two Main characters; TorvaldHelmer and his wife, Nora Helmer. They live in a “Doll looking House”, as it is symbolically represented by Ibsen. The play’ tittle, “A Doll’s House,” also symbolizes that all the people that live in Torvalds residence are “dolls.” Torvald plays with them when he pleases and ignores them when he has work to do or something else in his mind("Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House"). Torvald also...
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...heart. Money can help feed, clothe and shelter people but it can also lead people to heinous acts that leave those closest to them shocked. The decisions people make in pursuit of monetary assets can potentially push their loved ones away; this is especially true when people become obsessed with the idea. Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” tells the story of a married couple that is eventually torn apart by money and the pursuit of it. Nora Helmer has been desperately working to pay back a loan she took out to pay for a trip to Italy when her husband was sick. Krogstad is blackmailing her about this to gain a higher position and Torvald, Nora’s husband, is ignorant of all of this. They are all committing acts that they would not normally do in pursuit of money. This drives a wedge between Nora and Torvald, and Krogstad’s pursuit of money had already injured his relationship with people in his past. Money has driven all of them to do things that have driven people away. This happens everywhere. The lust for money, even when it is for a supposedly good cause, will drive those a person loves the most away and this is portrayed perfectly in Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”. The kind of hurt the hunt for money brings can be easily seen in the character of Krogstad. His love, Mrs. Linde, left him in pursuit of money and this left Krogstad devastated. She did this to support her family but her grab for money still hurt Krogstad profoundly. Krogstad claims that when Mrs. Linde left him it “was...
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...Postell’s Honors English II A Doll’s House Explain how each phrase below is SYMBOL in “A Doll’s House: 1. The masquerade ball 2. The Christmas tree (at the beginning and at the end) 3. The tip for the porter 4. The dress change at the end of the play 5. Nora’s macaroons 6. Torvald’s pet names for Nora 7. The mailbox keys 8. Krogstad’s first letter to Torvald 9. Slamming the door at the end of the play Act I: Scene 1: Nora, Helmer 1. What nicknames does Torvald Helmer call Nora? 2. What is Nora’s attitude about money? How do you know? 3. What is Torvald’s attitude about money? How do you know? 4. What is their relationship like? Scene 2: Nora, Maid, Mrs. Kristine Linde 1. How long has it been since Nora and Mrs. Linde have seen each other? 2. What unfortunate event has happened to Mrs. Linde in the past few years? 3. What good news does Nora share with Mrs. Linde? 4. In your opinion, do you think that Nora is being a good friend in this scene? 5. According to Nora, why did she and Torvald have to go to Italy years ago? 6. Mrs. Linde tells Nora that she is looking for what? 7. According to Nora, how did they finance the trip? Scene 3: Nora, Mrs. Linde, Krogstad, Dr. Rank, Helmer, maid 1. How does Nora react to Krogstad when he enters the house? 2. How does Mrs. Linde react to Krogstand? 3. Describe Krogstad’s family? 4. How does Dr. Rank describe Krogstad? Scene 4: Nora, children, Krogsatd ...
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...Ibsen’s Influential Individuals Whenever people read A Doll’s House, they usually focus on the main character Nora. Because of her decision to abandon her children, many people have grown to dislike her. Although Nora ultimately decides to leave her children in the hands of a possessive man, she is not fully responsible for her actions. Ibsen cleverly includes feminist, possessive, loving, and desperate characters in order to create a controversial play. The characters in A Doll’s House affect each other, Nora’s development, and her decision to abandon her family in order to become independent. Anne Marie has a strong influence on Nora Helmer. She had given up her child, whom she had out of wedlock, for adoption. Instead of running away and marrying another man, she decides to work in order to send money to her daughter whom she is still in contact with. By not doing what was expected during the 1800s, Anne Marie proves to be a feminist. After seeing a woman who does not let society rule her, Nora is influenced to become a feminist by not allowing her husband or society to control her. Although Anne Marie inspires Nora to become independent, Anne Marie is not considered an independent woman. Anne Marie belongs to the lower class, so independence is not an option. Money is much more important than liberation for Anne Marie because it is a means of survival. She does not abandon her child in order to become independent but gives her daughter up for adoption because she cannot...
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...marriage between Nora and Torvald Helmer, appeared on the surface to be quite normal, but beneath the surface lingered deceit and self-fulfillment thus providing Nora with the personal growth required to become an independent adult. Nora possesses a conscious where individuality and independence lie dormant, and as a result of a three day experience that stemmed from a secret business loan, her conscious is provided with the ability to flourish. Nora’s childish demeanor, naiveness and inexperience in life is clearly represented early in the play, but as the story unfolds, Nora evolves and becomes an individual adult due to the problems which include the secret business loan, as well as the realistic lessons and impact Krogstad, Mrs. Linde, and Dr. Rank unknowingly contribute in her life. The business loan Nora acquired from Krogstad, behind Torvald’s back, and the threats he made upon her is the beginning of her evolvement to becoming a self independent adult. Due to Nora’s childish way of thinking she did not fully understand the negative repercussions or the impact the business loan and forgery of her father’s name on the document possessed. Krogstad’s threats, like the one where he informed her that if he were to “lose” his “position a second time” that she too would “lose” hers “with” him, did not affect or create...
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...The Puppet On Strings Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House is a portrayal of a Victorian lifestyle in the 1800’s, when the men of the family were powerful figures and the women merely powerless in their own homes. Throughout the entire piece, Ibsen included many symbols to show the mistreatment of women in the Victorian era. During the 1800’s, the time period this play was based in, women had little to no control or power, merely accessories for their husbands to wear to events, “trophy wives”. In A Doll’s House, Torvald, being the man of the house, makes all of the executive decisions, when he tells Nora to jump, she asks how high. Throughout the entire story, Nora is treated like a naive child and a puppet, by the man who supposedly “loves” her. In a literary criticism, Emma Goldman states, “In A Doll's House, Ibsen returns to the subject so vital to him,--the Social Life and Duty,--this time as manifesting themselves in the sacred institution of the home and in the position of woman in her gilded cage” (Goldman). Torvald believes that she is his property, ordering her around like she is his toy to play with. This creates a great deal of stress and dishonesty within the relationship. This forces Nora to lie and involve her friends Dr. Rank and Christine to protect herself from Torvald’s power. Henrik Ibsen’s play, A Doll’s House, uses symbols of macaroons, the Tarantella performance, and Torvald’s pet names for Nora, to demonstrate the imbalance of power in their parent-child...
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...In the play, “A Doll’s House”, by Henrik Ibsen, the drama deals with the underlying issue of parental obligation and its effect on the lives of the children involved. The play was written in 1879, during a time where it was believed by society that a mother should stay home and take care of the children, while the father provided for the family but had little or no responsibility at home. Although the story is centered around the unhappy, controlled life of Nora, who chooses to leave her family and her role as a mother in order to find herself, her concealed problems stem from her father. Nora’s husband, Torvald, hints at the true issues with fatherhood when he states, “It seems most commonly to be the mother’s influence, though naturally a...
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...A Doll’s House – Being More Than Just A Doll June 15, 2015 Dr. Ozichi Alimole A Doll’s House – Being More Than Just A Doll In A Doll’s House, Ibsen uses many literary conventions such as realism and symbolism to convey his message about marital inequality and the rights of individuals. His play is powerful, requiring imagination on the part of both the author and reader to experience wholly. Additionally he very effectively shows the conservative way in which women were treated and expected to behave, as well as the consequences for standing alone or taking action. In addition to feeling that Mr. Ibsen’s depiction of marriage in 1870’s Norway was likely very relatable for women I also agreed with a description of A Doll’s House in his biography where it says: This 1879 play set tongues a-wagging throughout Europe for exploration of Nora's struggle with the traditional roles of wife and mother and her own need for self-exploration. Once again, Ibsen had questioned the accepted social practices of the times, surprising his audiences and stirring up debate. (“Ibsen,” n.d., para. 9) He uses realism in delivering his ideas as evidenced by the fact that there are limited numbers of similes and a dearth of flowery language, and in capturing a subject that is accepted as an every day norm ("Realism," n.d., para. 4). The effect this has is to cast a fairly strict tone, one free from enhancement with a very matter of fact representation. The strong social criticism issued...
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...Doll house By: Henrik Ibsen European drama Long form of ‘doll house’ By Dimple Patel 2) The author and his times.3) Form, Structure and Plot.Stream of ConsciousnessChronological orderBeginning & ending4) CharactersTorvald HelmerNoraDr. Rank5) Settings6) Imagery & Symbolism. The TarantellaAllusion 7) Figurative lang.Doll in a doll's houseLittle squirrel/skylark/songbird8) Ironic Devices:Paradox9) Tone10) Theme11) Significance of the work12) Comparison of this work to others13) Effect of this novel on you and your life | Henrik Ibsen is author of ‘Doll house’. He was born on march 20, 1828, Skein Norway. He was a major 19th century Norwegian playwright, theater director, and poet. He is offered referred to as “the father of realism”, and is one of the founder of Modernism in theater. His full name is Henrik Johan Ibsen. He was Norwegian. He wrote books called A Doll’s house; Peer Gynt: A dramatic poem; Hedda Gabler: A play. In 1862, he was exiled to Italy, where the tragedy Brand was written. He moved to Germany in 1868, where he wrote the Doll’s house. Hedda Gabler was written in 1890, by creating one of the theater’s most notorious characters. When in 1891 he returned to Norway, he was literary hero. He died in may 23, 1906, Oslo, Norway.This novel is organized in acts. There are three acts.It is 56-57 pages long European drama, because it was written in Germany, and all the settings took place in Germany too.When the Nora is talking to Helmer reader can...
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...Professor Samios-Uy English 102-E1A October 22, 2007 Essay #4, Draft Title In Henrik Ibsen play “A Doll’s House, Norma Helmer, one of the main characters is a woman who does immoral and unjust actions in order to save her husband’s life and then realizes her actions were done under false pretenses. She thought that she has committed a crime for love and find out the she really does not know what love is. The other characters attitude in the story toward Nora plays a major role in understanding Nora and significance of the play. One character, attitude toward Nora is that she is a simple woman. She walks talks and think as a child according to her husband Mr Torvald Helmer. In the beginning of the play Norma stuff her mouth with macaroons and when she hears her Torvald comes in she hides them. Like how a child would do if they would sneak and eat something after their parents not to. Torvald also had many pet names for his wife such as my little squirrel, or my little sky lark. Nora and Torvald never have and adult converstions. They talk about the children or Nora going shopping. Torval always say be a good little wife. However, toward the end of the play Mr Helmer attitude changes about Nora. He upset with her that she decides to leave him. He said that she is ungrateful Another character is Ms Kristine Linde who is a friend of Nora’s attitude toward her is the the same as Torvald simple minded. However, Kristine call relate to Nora because she was in a similar...
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...In the play, a doll’s house, Dr. Rank is a character without much significance to the play as a whole. He does not further the plot the way krogstad or Mrs. Linde does. Krogstad initiates the conflict by attempting to blackmail Nora Helmer. Mrs. Linde gives Nora an excuse to leap into exposition in Act One, and she also tames the heart of the antagonistic Mr. Krogstad. Dr. Rank, in the play, mainly just visits torvald in his office,flirts with nora and carries the burden of a disease believed to be syphilis. Dr. Rank’s purpose in ibsen’s play is a very debatable one as some may believe he was there only to shine more light on the true characters of torvald and his wife, nora. Some could also believe that Dr. Rank is a symbol of the life which nora yearns for, a life of freedom and independence which everyone in her life has refused to give her. Dr. Rank's function in the play also refers to a past occasion in Nora's life. Just as she used to seek the conversation of the maids as a refreshing change from the moralizing of her father, Nora finds amusement in Rank's companionship as a change from Torvald’s tiresome nature: NORA: When I lived at home, naturally I loved papa best,but I always found it terribly amusing to slip into the servants’ hall,because they always talked about such interesting things,and they never lectured me at all.(Ibsen 196) Rank’s character is also really interesting because it contrasts so much with the other male characters in the play. Krogstad and...
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...Tray Watkins A Dolls House Essay English 2 A Dolls House Essay In A Doll's House, very little is as it first seems. Nora at first appears to be a silly, selfish girl, but then we learn that she has made great sacrifices to save her husband's life and pay back her secret loan. By the end of the play, she has realized her true strength and strikes out as an independent woman. Torvald, for all his faults, appears to be a loving, devoted and generous husband. But it later transpires that he is a shallow, vain man, concerned mainly with his public reputation, and too weak to deliver on his promise to shoulder any burden that would fall upon Nora. The Helmer marriage appears loving, but turns out to be based on lies, play-acting and an unequal relationship. The reason why there is such a gap between appearance and reality is that the characters are engaged in various sorts of deception. Often, this is to enable them to enjoy acceptance or approval by others and society in general. Nora deceives Torvald about the loan and hides her own strength, even lying to him about trivial matters such as eating sweets, because she intuits that he cannot tolerate the truth about their marriage. Torvald in return deceives Nora and himself when he claims, with apparent sincerity, that if he would take upon himself any burden that fell upon Nora. His claim appears to arise from his poor self-knowledge and tendency to fantasize about his and Nora's life together. Dr Rank pretends to Torvald...
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...After reading A Doll’s House I read one of the alternate endings to the play. In the alternate ending instead of Nora is almost forced to stay with Torvald because of her children. The reason Ibsen abhorred rewriting the ending in this way was that it fundamentally undermined the message behind this play. The message behind this play was what is most important in marriage is that one truly loves the one they are with. He showed this by giving two examples of what may happen if one ignores this rule and one example of what should happen in a marriage. The foremost example is between Nora and Torvald. For years Nora has deluded herself into thinking she was in love with Torvald. Her and Torvald’s relationship was built on only skin deep interactions,...
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...“Ibsen’s Nora is a perfect vehicle for an exploration of self-determination, as she embodies the repression of women, as well as the suffocating bourgeois life style” A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen portrays a metaphoric life of individuals confined in a “doll’s house”. The text, written by Henrik Ibsen, produces a point of view seen in the society at the time, where women were expected to be the dutiful young wife and mother. Although Ibsen denies that it is a feminist play, many critics believe otherwise. The characterisation of Nora Helmer, the protagonist of the play, becomes a perfect vehicle for an exploration of self-determination as she embodies the repression of women as well as the suffocating bourgeois lifestyle. Her role in the play unravels as she starts off as being a part of an expected duty of women in the society and flourishes into an independent courageous woman. Ibsen portrays this through the use of symbolism, dramatic techniques and language forms. As being the perfect vehicle for self determination, Nora, in the play, disguises her true self. This ultimately shows the repression she endures to meet the expectations of society as well as her husband, Torvald. Society’s outlook on the role of women is for them to be completely devoted, to husband and to family. Nora’s duty is to be adoring, reliant on Torvald and perhaps childlike through her ways of handling money, spending it on useless things such as macaroons. Outwardly, Nora is seen to fulfil her husband’s...
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